]'.)S REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 



in future with two friends instead of one. By this arrangement 

 the Fellows of the Society and their personal friends have now 

 the power of viewing the Exhibitions an hour and half earlier 

 than visitors not accompanied by Fellows of the Society. 



They have also authorised the construction of a zinc roof 

 over the iron tent, instead of renewing the canvas covering ; 

 by which means the tent itself will become far more useful as 

 well as more durable than it has hitherto been. 



The funds at the disposal of the Council would not have 

 enabled them to incur much cost in new works at the Garden, 

 even had the winter rendered ground-work of any extensive kind 

 practicable. They have, however, to announce that Messrs. 

 Pilkington and Co. have fixed a very good specimen of Ewing's 

 glass walls; that a new and improved heating apparatus has 

 been adapted satisfactorily, by Messrs. Weeks and Co., to some 

 brick pits ; and that the condition of the Arboretum, of the 

 new American Garden, and of its approaches has been still further 

 improved. 



They have also permitted Mr. McGlashan, of Edinburgh, to 

 exhibit the capability of his transplanting apparatus to remove 

 trees of considerable magnitude — a Poplar, 50 feet high, having 

 been selected for the purpose ; on which occasion H.K.H. Prince 

 Albert honoured the Garden with his presence. 



A large number of varieties of fruits having been introduced to 

 cultivation since the last edition of the Fruit Catalogue was pub- 

 lished, Mr. Thompson has been instructed to prepare a supplement 

 to it, which will be ready in the course of the ensuing summer. 



It will be within the recollection of the Society that in the 

 year 1850 the distribution department of the Garden was re- 

 organised on the retirement of Mr. Munro, in whose charge it 

 had been for many years, and by the construction of better houses 

 for the propagation of plants. The Garden Committee report 

 that this change has proved satisfactory ; that a better class of 

 plants is now provided for distribution among the Fellows ; and 

 that many imported plants, which there had been previously no 

 sufficient means of multiplying, had been sent in some abundance 

 to the applicants. It also appears that the number of demands 

 upon the Garden still remaining to be complied with is very 

 much smaller than it has been at any time for more than twenty 

 years. The Council had, however, previously found that the new 

 plants obtained for dispersion had ceased to be sufficient to satisfy 

 the just expectations of the Fellows of the Society ; tbat little was 



